The subject matter disclosed herein relates to integrated circuit devices. More particularly, the subject matter relates to processes in forming integrated circuit devices.
As integrated circuit (IC) technologies have advanced, the size of these devices has correspondingly decreased. In particular, as devices are reduced in scale to comply with ever-smaller packaging, tighter constraints are applied to their dimensions and spacings.
Smaller ICs call for greater uniformity within the die used to form separate IC chips. For example, some product constraints may call for less than two nanometers (nm) of within-die uniformity. These constraints may be particularly tough to meet in certain processing approaches, e.g., in chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), where macro-loading causes variations in the density of structures within the die.